No.127 Visit to Ozora Town by the New and Old Mayors

From May 15 to 16, I visited our Sister City, Ozora Town in Hokkaido, together with the Chairman of the Watanabe City Council. I expressed my gratitude to the former mayor, Mr. Eiji Yamashita, who resigned on April 22 after his term ended, and paid a courtesy visit to the new mayor, Mr. Kazumasa Matsukawa, who took office on the 23rd, as well as greeting the new Chairman of the Town Council, Mr. Tetsuki Haramoto, and the new Vice Chairman, Mr. Koji Saito.

Former Mayor Yamashita was employed at the Memanbetsu Town Hall in 1978, and after serving as the head of the Agricultural Policy Division and the head of the Planning and Coordination Division, he ran for mayor in 2003 during his time as the head of the Planning and Finance Division and was elected for the first time. Immediately after taking office, he accomplished the significant task of merging with the former Higashimokoto Village, and in 2006, with the establishment of Ozora Town, he was re-elected as the Mayor of Ozora Town. He has dedicated himself to the development of the town for four terms over 16 years, and if counted from his time as the Mayor of Memanbetsu, it totals five terms over 19 years.
At the age of 62, he still possesses the energy and physical strength to remain active, but in December of last year, in response to a general question at the town council, he expressed his determination not to run in the April 2022 election in order to pass the baton at the end of his current term.
I was surprised by his abrupt announcement of retirement, but it seems that Mr. Yamashita has always considered his timing for stepping down since he was first elected as the Mayor of Memanbetsu.
On November 6 of last year, he came all the way to Inagi City to attend the 50th anniversary ceremony of the city's establishment. He did not mention anything at that time, but later I learned that he had already made his decision, which left me feeling a bit disappointed.

I have visited Memanbetsu Town and Ozora Town a total of 7 times. The first visit was in 1999, when I visited to exchange with the Memanbetsu Fire Brigade as the captain of the Inagi City Fire Brigade. The mayor at that time was the predecessor of Mr. Yamashita. The second visit was in 2003, when I visited as the executive board of the Inagi City Staff Union. Although it was a friendly trip for us, I remember that Mr. Yamashita, who was elected mayor of Memanbetsu for the first time that year, welcomed us very warmly.
The fourth visit was in 2011, the year I was first elected mayor, when I was invited to the "Memanbetsu Tourism Summer Festival" and was guided around the former Higashimokoto area for the first time.
Since then, Mr. Yamashita has come to Inagi, and I have gone to Ozora Town, deepening our mutual exchange.
The people of Ozora Town have always welcomed us as if we were returning to our hometown, no matter when we visit. I feel lonely thinking that Mr. Yamashita, who was at the center of that, will no longer be with us.

Mayor Matsukawa started working at the Memanbetsu Town Office in 1992 and has experience in various departments such as General Affairs, Welfare, Commerce and Tourism, Construction, Board of Education, and Social Welfare Council, making him well-versed in the administration of Ozora Town. During this meeting with Mayor Matsukawa, we promised to continue and develop our Sister City exchange.
Thank you, Mr. Yamashita, for your long service. And Mr. Matsukawa, I look forward to working with you from now on.
While praying for the development of Ozora Town and the deepening of the bond between our two municipalities, we will advance the Sister City exchange project. I hope that exchanges among citizens will deepen even further.